COACH McKEE: NO NEED TO WORRY
ABOUT FLYING FIJIANS PLAYING IN ENGLAND
Fiji Airways Flying Fijians head coach John McKee says Fijians have nothing to worry about as discussions continue between World Rugby and Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) on a player’s insurance dispute. This is after a threat by PRL not to release players playing in the English Premiership early for Rugby World Cup camps for their national teams ahead of the 2019 RWC in Japan, which kicks off on September 20.
Speaking from Sydney yesterday, McKee did not wish to make further comments, but said there is nothing Fijians should worry about. “There is no further comment on development of the discussions between the two parties, but the outcome will be made public in the New Year.”
The Flying Fijians will be affected if this PRL move were to go ahead because it would be without a few key players in the current squad who play in the English Premiership until 35 days before RWC 2019 kick-off.
They include Leicester’s Campese Ma’afu, Newcastle Falcons quartet Tevita Cavubati, Nemani Nagusa, Josh Matavesi and Vereniki Goneva, Northampton Saints’ Api Ratuniyarawa, London Irish prop Manasa Saulo (should they secure promotion) and Harlequins’ Semi Kunatani. London-based The Guardian newspaper reported last Saturday that Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) would stop players from joining their national squads until midAugust if World Rugby was not paying for insurance cover for players. The major issue is insurance for injuries picked up while on international duty, with World Rugby recently raising the salary threshold of full compensation for an injured player from £225K (FJ$601k) to £350k (FJ$935k), but the PRL does not think it’s enough as reported by The Guardian.